February 24, 2009

A Dyslexic Writer - Paradox?

People are surprised when I say I am dyslexic. The stereotype of a dyslexic says that we cannot read. While severe dyslexics may struggle with reading, we "high-functioning" dyslexics struggle with something else: detail.

One of the reasons I love computers is because I am wholly dependent on them for organizing myself. The more "advanced" computer technology gets, the more it allows for the abstract thinker to "outsource" dealing with individual details, the more useful it becomes. Today, I am drowning in a sea of email. I am involved in a collaborative effort with non-dyslexics. The emails and forwards are flying fast and furious, as are the phone calls (fantastic NOT! - another auditory processing task.)

My mother used to marvel at the way my father reads. He susses out the structure of the book, skips around, and hangs detail on the skeleton to synthesize a meaning. I read this way, too. I have gained the reputation as a "voracious" reader. Although it takes me weeks to finish a single title, I am very good and finding the connections in the ideas, structure, and greater discourse surrounding multiple books. Don't ask me about a particular scene, though. Forget characters' names.

So - here's a tip: If you ever meet a super-busy, super-engaged person who falls apart when put in charge of "managing" something, PLEASE have mercy and let 'er use a Wiki. Reducing a dozen emails that must be gleaned to a single document (with logical organization, not just a random outpouring of bits of data) will make all the difference.